Birding around Arequipa (1 Viewer)

[Wimpy]

Hi to all
We are coming to Peru next May for a "cultural tour" of the country and I am trying to fit in as much birding into our "free time" slots as I can.

I am looking for a 1/2 day tour in the Arequipa region, but not the Colca Canyon region as we are scheduled to visit this region with the tour on the next day.

I would welcome any information on local sites and guides that might help our quest.

Thanks in advance

Roger

 

[James Lowther]

Try tanager tours. Did a decent but pricey day tour to chiguata with them in 2009
Cheers
James

 

[Steve Lister]

Another possibility would be to get a taxi to take you along the road towards Las Salinas, a town named after the saltpans that were dry recently when I recommended somebody else (Gary Prescott) went there. The road climbs up through remnants of polylepis scrub and has a few birds that you might not find elsewhere on your cultural tour.

By the way I did the same type of thing about 12 years ago and it worked really well for birding.

Steve

 

[temmie]

Another site to consider is Patapampa. It has very reliable Diademed Sandpiper plover, Rufous-bellied and Grey-breasted Seedsnipes but not much else except catching your breathe at 4900 MASL altitude! It's on the way to Colca from Arequipa. 2 hrs from Arequipa.

Details are here: http://www.cloudbirders.com/tripreport/repository/DETEMMERMAN_Peru_0708_2012.pdf

 

[Wimpy]

Thanks all
I really appreciate your help. It is an escorted tour when we have an afternoon or a morning free and i want to get some birding in.
Also are the wetlands at Pantanos de Villa. just south of Lima, worth a mornings visit. I don't think we have a chance to visit coast marshes and wetlands on thetrip.

Roger

 

[Steve Lister]

Thanks all
I really appreciate your help. It is an escorted tour when we have an afternoon or a morning free and i want to get some birding in.
Also are the wetlands at Pantanos de Villa. just south of Lima, worth a mornings visit. I don't think we have a chance to visit coast marshes and wetlands on thetrip.

Roger

They certainly were when I was there but that was a long time ago now, and in August.

Steve

 

[jimforjim]

Hi,

My wife & I went to Pantanos de Villa in May about 4 years ago, and it was well-worth the time. The only drawback, as I recall, was that they didn't open until about 8AM. There were quite a few nice birds around. I'd look at recent trip reports to see if there is any updated information; this is a pretty popular destination, considering that it's in the Lima city limits. Also, if you've got time, you might try going to Pucusana - it's a nice day trip.

Jim

 

[Wimpy]

Thanks guys I really appreciate your time and your comments.

 

[temmie]

Hi Roger,

Andrew Spencer's (excellent) report was on his website, but it seems to be down for the moment. So here is the excerpt about Lagunas de Mejia:

Lagunas de Mejía, Arequipa

These extensive wetlands along the southern Peruvian coast are known as the only location to look for Red-fronted Coot in Peru, and also contain a nice suite of marsh birds. From the bus terminal in Arequipa busses leave every hour or even more frequently and go all the way through to the town of Mejía, though many of them say “Mollendo” on the placard.

Once in the town of Mejía the actual marshes are a few kilometers further down the road. A taxi can take you to the entrance for a few soles, where you will have to pay a S/15 entrance fee. Once there you will either have to walk along the dirt road that goes to the various observation towers, or hire a taxi for your time there and get the guardparque to open the gate for you.

There are a number of towers that overlook large reed-fringed pools that contain large numbers of species. Red-fronted Coot is quite rare here, and it took me over an hour of searching to find one from the second or third observation tower. Both Slate-colored Coot and Common Moorhen were abundant.

Don’t neglect the sparse fields between the marshes and the ocean, where Peruvian Thick-Knee and Least Seedsnipe have been reported (I didn’t see either), and the river mouth at the end of the dirt road. I had a huge flock of Gray Gulls here, as well as smaller numbers of the other expected Larid species, and decent numbers of common shorebirds.

 

[sneil]

Hi to all
We are coming to Peru next May for a "cultural tour" of the country and I am trying to fit in as much birding into our "free time" slots as I can.

I am looking for a 1/2 day tour in the Arequipa region, but not the Colca Canyon region as we are scheduled to visit this region with the tour on the next day.

I would welcome any information on local sites and guides that might help our quest.

Thanks in advance

Roger

Just wondering how things went? We're looking at what I reckon is the same trip......and my wife can do the 'cultural stuff' while I am hoping to sneak away (where the itinerary allows) to do some birding......the Cusco and Arequipa days look favourite at the moment

 

[temmie]

Just some random tips:

Having birded in C-Peru this summer and thinking about the effort it cost to see Diademed Sand-piper Plover at Marcopomacochas (2 visits, seen on the 2nd visit after 1 hour searching at high altitude), I can definitely recommend Patapampa now ;-)

Go to the monasterioSanta Catalina in Arequipa to have a very good chance seeing a male Peruvian Sheartail.

From Cuzco, the Laguna Huaparcay is the most obvious destination, and your best bet seeing Bearded Mountaineer.

In general, Cuzco and Arequipa are, in my humble opinion, two of the better cultural experiences in Peru, and two of the most birdless ones for the same matter. It's a pity that cultural tours go through Peru and almost never touch the Eastern slope or the really nice Western dry forests...

You can ask me details through PM.

 

[Wimpy]

Thanks to all for your advice and comments.i'm afraid I was told in March that I should cancel any plans I had on medical advice. At the end of June I had "quintuple" heart bypass, sort of messed up my plans for the year!!!!!

Just got to the stage of looking at the holiday brochures again ����. Just hope I get the all clear from the doc and can afford the holiday insurance premiums ��

 

[sneil]

Sorry to hear that......get well soon and get out there birding...